have since been formed, wholly or in part. Named for General George Washington, first President of the United States. Lies in southwestern Alabama, north of Mobile county, and on the Mississippi line. Area, 1,050 square miles; undulating pine lands, 800; lime hills and shell prairie lands, 150; pine hills, 100. Principal soil varieties, first, upland sandy soil, of gray to yellowish colors, covering over two-thirds of the county, and timbered chiefly with long leaf pine and blackjack; second, river bottoms, occupying a large portion of the townships on the eastern border of the county, and timbered with white oak, ash, cottonwood, hickory, sweet gum, etc., and, third, line lands (black prairie, shell prairie), occupying a large portion of the northern tier of townships in the county, and timbered with cedar, ash, hickory, chestnut, etc. The soils of the county, on the whole, are fairly productive, and in portions of the county they are quite fertile; but in the piny woods, which form so large a proportion of the area of the county, the lands are thin and not very fertile. The Tombigbee river forms the eastern boundary of the county, and the county is well watered by several large creeks. Population, white, 4,716; colored, 3,219; total, 7,935. County seat, St. Stephens; population, 387. Acres in county, 536,150. Assessed value of property in county in 1891, real, $510,551.00; personal, $1,009,347.00; total, 81,519,898. Railroads, miles of main track, Mobile & Birmingham, 26.35; Mobile & Ohio, 23. Telegraph, miles of poles, Western Union Telegraph Company, 48.71. Newspaper, Times, weekly, St. Stephens. No county debt. Total county tax rate, 44 mills. Products, cotton, corn, oats, potatoes, sugar cane, orchard fruits, live stock, timber, lumber and naval stores. The yellow pine forests of the county are very extensive and valuable. Lands, $2.00 to $10.00 an acre. Government land in county, 70,560 acres. Health and climate of the county, like the health and climate of all the pine counties of the State, exceptionally good, and church and school facilities reasonably good.

WILCOX COUNTY.

Established by act December 13, 1819. Territory taken from Dallas and Monroe counties. Named for Lieutenant Joseph M. Wilcox, of the United States army, a brave officer, who was killed in the county, by the Indians, in 1814. Lies in the southwest quarter of the State. Area, 940 square miles; Oak and hickory uplands, with long leaf pine, 580; central prairie region, 300, of which 200 are of the hills-prairie character and 100 of rotten limestone; flatwoods, 60. Surface generally uneven, but with considerable areas of level land. Soils fertile, for the most part, and the lands of the river bottoms very productive. County considered one of the best of the agricultural counties of the State. The Alabama river flows through the county, and there are a number of large creeks in the county, tributaries of that river. The drainage of the county is altogether by means of the river and its tributaries. Prevailing timber of county, long and short leaf pine, oaks, hickory, ash, elm, poplar, cypress, mulberry, beech, magnolia, sycamore and walnut. Very fine timber is found in the county and its cedar growth is not surpassed in the State. Excellent cypress timber also exists in the county. Population, white, 6,648; colored, 24,168; total, 30,816. County seat, Camden; population, 545. Acres in county, 566,333. Assessed value of property in 1891, real, $1,896,645.00; personal, $1,024,805.00; total, $2,921,450.00. Railroads in county, miles of main track, Mobile & Birmingham, 26.50; Pensacola & Selma, 13.25. Telegraph, miles of poles, Western Union, 39.76. Newspapers, Progress, weekly, New Era, weekly, Camden. County debt, $2,663.00. Total county tax rate, 5 mills. Chief crops, cotton, corn, oats, potatoes, peas, etc. Crops in 1889 (census of 1890)-cotton, acres, 91,597; bales, 32,582; value, $1,496,163.00; corn, acres, 37,075; bushels, 633,838; oats, acres, 3,931; bushels, 46,583. County well adapted to orchard fruits and, owing to its fine native grasses and cane along the water courses, to the raising of live stock. County well watered. Lands, $2.00 to $25.00 an acre.

Government land

in county, 1,000 acres. Health and climate good. Good schools and churches of all the leading denominations. The schools at Camden, Snow Hill, Pine Apple and Oak Grove are excellent.

WINSTON COUNTY.

Established by act February 12, 1850, under the name of "Hancock," in honor of Governor John Hancock, of Massachusetts; but name changed, by act of January 2, 1858, to "Winston," for John Anthony Winston, Governor of Alabama from 1853 to 1857. Lies in the northwestern portion of the State. Area, 630 square miles; all coal measures; all woodland. Surface generally much broken. Soils sandy and not generally very fertile; the farming lands are mostly in the lowlands and in the creek bottoms, where the soil is of greater depth and more fertile. Prevailing timber, red, white and black oaks, hickory, short leaf pine, chestnut, etc. The main dividing ridge between the waters of the Warrior and Tombigbee rivers runs almost north and south through the entire length of the county, near its western line. This (Byler) ridge, in the northwestern part of the county, also divides the waters of the Warrior from those of the Tennessee river, flowing through Big Bear creek. The principal streams of the county are Black Water creek and the Sipsey fork of the Warrior with its tributaries, Clear creek, Brushy fork and Rock creek on the east side of Byler ridge, and, on the west side, the sources of the Buttahatchie and New rivers, which flow into the Tombigbee river, and of Big Bear creek, a tributary of the Tennessee. The rarest and most beautiful ferns are found in the "rock houses," or overhanging ledges, on the ravines leading to the water courses in this county, and there are beautiful rapids and waterfalls, the Clear creek falls rivalling in beauty many which, in other parts of the world, are annually visited by thousands of tourists. Population, white, 6,520; colored, 32; total, 6,552. County seat, Double Springs.* Acres in

So called from the remarkable springs which issue from the hillsides in that locality, and which are famous for their boldness and purity.

county, improved, 15,256; unimproved, 141,171; total, 156,427. Railroads in county, miles of main track, Birmingham, Sheffield & Tennessee River, 23.20. Newspaper, Herald, weekly, Double Springs. Chief crops, cotton, corn, oats, potatoes, etc. Crops in 1889 (census of 1890)-cotton, acres, 5,312; bales, 1,464; value, $63,370; corn acres, 11,942; bushels, 140,971; oats, acres, 2,105; bushels, 13,338. County produces excellent orchard fruits. County rich in coal and iron ore, slate, copper, and granite building stone and millstone grit are also found. Game abounds and excellent fish. Lands, $2.00 to $10.00 per acre. Government lands in county, 82,740 acres. Water pure and abundant for all domestic purposes. Health and climate equal to the best in the State. Educational facilities moderately good and improving, and ample church advantages in the towns and populated sections.

PART NINTH.

SKETCHES OF SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL CITIES AND TOWNS Of

ALABAMA.

MOBILE.*

Sit

First of the cities of Alabama, in point of population. uated in the extreme southwestern portion of the State, on the west bank of Mobile river, immediately at the head of Mobile bay, from which it derived its name.† Distant, by rail, 179 miles southwest from Montgomery, Alabama, and 141 miles east by north from New Orleans, Louisiana, and, by water, about thirty miles north of Mobile Point, where the Gulf of Mexico begins. Established on its present site in 1811. Built on a sandy plateau but slightly elevated above the level of the sea. Incorporated, first, as a city, December 19, 1819; last act of incorporation, December 10, 1886. Population, 31,076. City divided into eight wards, and is governed by a mayor and a board of seven aldermen, from the city at large, and a board of eight councilmen, one from each ward, elected every three years, in March, and styled, together, "The Mayor and General Council." City has a full corps of city officials, an efficient police force and police patrol system, a well equipped paid fire department and fire alarm telegraph system, and is lighted both

For a description of Mobile county, in which the city of Mobile is situated, see page 111, ante.

† See note on page 78, ante, for origin of name. 4 See page 78, ante, as to settlement of Mobile.